Thanks a lot TK .
I'm just shadowing at home, so hopefully when I get out on the court, it'll become automatic..

I have a question for everyone here :
When you guys learn a new stroke, do you kind of forget your old stroke?
I had a pretty decent 2 handed backhand, and then I decided to switch to a 1 hander, which is a work in progress, but now I can barely hit a 2 hander for my life...
Did that ever happen to you guys?

I went from a 1-handed backhand to a 2-hander due to an arm injury, and never looked back. I slice 1-handed, but topspin drives are 2-handed. I tried the 1-hander recently, and it still works, but I will have to put in a few weeks of work to make it dependable again... which I am not planning to do! Lord forgive me, but I love my 2-hander!

^ Really?
For me, its like the absolute opposite, my 1 handed drives are much stronger than my 2 handers now.... but I don't know why it declined so rapidly (the 2h), because I'd been using that for about 3-4 months..and as soon as I tried the 1 hander, it worked.. for follow throughs for 2 handers, I'd always let go of the racquet.. and I was inspired a bit.. so maybe it was written or something...
Though my new coach might tell me to switch.. oh well.

Look to Justine Henin for inspiration. She is tiny in comparison to other pros but can take the biggest shots from any of them and dish it right back. No one works harder on strength and fitness than her but she does it in a way to gain strength and endurance rather than bulk. I think it is safe to say that it has payed off in spades for her. I believe most of her focus is on legs and core which is what will give you most of your power to begin with and take the strain off of your upper body/arm. BTW> in the Aussie open my wife and i saw her wipe her brow with her shirt, exposing her abs. She is ripped.

^ Really?
For me, its like the absolute opposite, my 1 handed drives are much stronger than my 2 handers now.... but I don't know why it declined so rapidly (the 2h), because I'd been using that for about 3-4 months..and as soon as I tried the 1 hander, it worked.. for follow throughs for 2 handers, I'd always let go of the racquet.. and I was inspired a bit.. so maybe it was written or something...
Though my new coach might tell me to switch.. oh well.

Why do you like the 2 hander better?

Don't get me wrong - I think the 1-hander is a beautiful looking shot, very aesthetically pleasing. I have nothing against it, and I would trade both my forehand and backhand for Wawrinka's 1-handed backhand.

It took me a long time to get the 2-handed backhand mechanics right. It was a challenge to adjust my stroke so as to get racquet head speed, good coordination between the two hands, the right follow through, hitting on the run, etc. I put in so much effort, that it has far surpassed my 1-hander. I can flatten it, roll it, loop it, and I can hit it as hard as my forehand. You can understand why I love it so much now, and can't even imagine going back.

I too started out with a one-handed backhand. I'm glad I did just because I learned the bh slice and now effectively use it as a weapon. My two-handed bh is par with my forehand - something i just didn't think would happen with the 1 hander.

And 03White, i agree with Architeuthis. Henin is up against the best two-handed bh(s) ever and does incredibly well. I think her bh is as much of a weapon as Federer's bh is for him.

Haha, you guys are just a second or so too late. I modeled my backhand and forehand after hers...very inspiring indeed.
Fitness and conditioning is really, really important, especially seeing as I'm not naturally 6 '2..
Just goes to show, if you work hard, many things are possible..such as a 5'5 person thrashing a 6'3..
(I'm barely 5'6 myself lol..)
Lol, when I'm at the club I always see like a million guys doing 1 hand bh, usually incorrectly because its "manly".. good to see that some of you have sense.
The one annoying thing about a 1h bh is that you need to take stuff on the rise more, and prepare a lot earlier..but that does help in your entire game.
LT, I tried that hitting and preparing earlier, and that really seemed to work.. earlier preparation and a lot of shadowing..

Kind of off topic, but do you think flexibility is important in tennis?

You're pretty tall actually, when I started high school i was 5' six years later I'm ~6'1. Flexibility is definitely important in any physical activity. It helps your joint health and range of motion, and it's something that's important to maintain as you get stronger.

With no body rotation the muscles you use for a one hander would probably be the triceps and posterior deltiod. But you can definitely rotate your upper body into the shot. That's where core strength should pay dividends.

With no body rotation the muscles you use for a one hander would probably be the triceps and posterior deltiod. But you can definitely rotate your upper body into the shot. That's where core strength should pay dividends.

i thought the one hander was best in a closed stance. to open up after impact and after lots of practice with a closed stance was okay they. is this correct?

i thought the one hander was best in a closed stance. to open up after impact and after lots of practice with a closed stance was okay they. is this correct?

I'm not an expert on one handed backhands but I do exercises that use the same motion for the back of my shoulders. If you're not careful in the exercise your shoulders turn and it becomes more core oriented. I assume the same would apply in tennis except it's actually a good thing because it puts more weight into the shot.